Things Need to Happen for a Reason
by Eatmy18wheelersdust
Summary: An old female friend from the army meets up with Sarge in Radiator Springs and he falls for her, but she falls for somebody else too. Sarge/OC, Mack/OC D Full Summary is inside. Rated T for rare usage of swearing and language.
1. Chapter 1

_Summary- It's been about a year or two since lightning and Mack have arrived into Radiator Springs. The little town is busier than ever and new friends are being made, but the same group still remain best of friends._

_But more starts to occur as Sarge bumps into his old best friend from the army, an M715 named Christina, or Chris for short. The longer she stays at Radiator Springs, the more Sarge realizes how much he feels for her, but little do both Sarge AND Chris know that she will fall for a different vehicle..or to be more specific, a big rig by the name of Mack. sarge/oc, Mack/oc_

_I suck at summaries... XP_

_........._

It was a bright and early morning at the little town of Radiator Springs, but that still didn't stop travelers from stopping by. All the cars who have lived there for years, Sally, Ramone, Flo, Sarge, Fillmore, Red, Lizzie, Doc, Sheriff, Guido, Luigi, Mater and even Lightning and Mack, were all up and ready for the busy day ahead of them. Flo was already in her V8 café

with the help of the Mazda Miatas, Mia and Tia, who had become waitresses there. Ramone also had quite the customers himself, giving at least a couple dozen paint jobs a day! All the other cars had their fair share of customers as well, except for Sarge. Sure he got a few cars here and there, but not enough to even come close to the others. It upset him to the greatest, but he did his best to hide the fact that he was ticked and sad.

"Dang cars..who needs army surplus anyway?" He said as he looked out of his shop window towards the crowd of cars and trucks. Nobody really needed army surplus. Nobody needed it. Thoughts about shutting the store down flooded his mind from day to day, but something inside him told him to keep it up. He was a strong fellow, and would follow his instincts no matter what. Of course, being in the wars and army really helped out.

Sighing, he turned around and exited his store, deciding to take a small drive out of town for once.

After driving around to random places for about a half-hour, he decided that he'd go back to Radiator Springs.

He began to pick up speed a bit, exceeding the speed limit by only five miles an hour, which didn't seem like much. About another ten minutes later, he arrived at a sharp turn which led into the small town. He could already see cars spilling in and out of it.

Everything seemed to happen so fast right then and there. As soon as he turned, another vehicle at turned to leave, causing an 'almost head-on collision' between the two.

"Hey! Watch it why don'tcha!" Sarge yelled at the other car, who he still didn't get a good look at.

"Why don't you watch where your going old man!" A female's voice responded.

Sarge's glare turned into a stare as he looked at the truck before him. She was an m715 military jeep. A military truck. A beautiful military truck in his eyes.

He shook his head and glared no more, coming to his senses, "I'm sorry, miss." He said, now fully respecting this truck.

"It's...it's no problem." She replied with a slight smile. "Wait, are you Sarge?"

"Yes, I am." He replied.

"Oh, some cars told me that they saw you went out for a drive when I stopped by at your store." She explained. "I thought I'd be able to find you. I was interested in some things inside."

"Oh, yes. Come right in, show me what you like and I'll get it ready if you were planning on buying anything." He replied, trying to sound as nice as possible, especially to such a woman.

"Yea, I saw a couple things." She chuckled slightly as she followed him back to the store. Finally, when they reached inside, she began to show him exactly what she wanted. He got everything put in boxes for her since some things for fragile, and she thanked him before turning to leave.

Before she even had the chance to exit the door, a million thoughts zoomed into his head. how could he let a beautiful vehicle like that just drive away? He'd probably never see her again, and it's very rare to find cars and trucks who look half as good as her, he thought. Not only that, but she seemed awfully familiar..something about her... Suddenly he snapped back into reality and didn't even think before he spoke.

"Um, excuse me." He called.

She stopped and turned herself around. "Yes?"

He had to think of what to say.."Y...wh-would-would you mind if I asked you for your name?" He suddenly blurted.

She smiled and blushed slightly. "Christina Jeep."

If he could, he would have kicked himself! That's why she looked so familiar! He knew her! Way back a long time ago they were close friends in the army!

"C-c-c-hris? Is that you?" He said, almost speechless.

It took her a while to absorb what was happening, and when she got it, her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open a bit, "Sarge! How could I not have remembered!" She quickly drove over to him and hugged him.

He gladly leaned into her. Hell, it wasn't everyday a pretty woman hugged somebody like him.

"What's been goin' on lately? I haven't seen you since waaay back in the day!" She laughed.

He shrugged and smiled, "Nothing really has changed with me except now I own this here store, and live here with my friends."

She nodded as she listened, "I still can't believe it's you." She laughed.

"You look good." He blurted.

She blushed slightly, "Thanks."

Things seemed to go quiet. The crowed outside could barely be heard even though there were a lot of cars.

"Umm.." Chris began, trying to end the silence, "So, I was planning on staying at the Cozy Cone, but there's no vacancy there.."

"W-well, if you want, I have a spare room here in the store. Think of it as a guest room." Sarge offered quickly.

"Really? That'd be great!" Chris agreed.

"Great, I'll get it set up then." He said before quickly turning around to go fix up the small guest room.

"Thanks." She replied, smiling at him.

"Sarge, maaan, everybody's at Flo's taking a break in a few hours, you should stop by then, man." Fillmore suddenly popped out of nowhere.

"I-I'll be down, hippie!" Sarge replied as he came out of the room.

Fillmore nodded and left the building.

"Still the same old Sarge." Chris laughed.

"Shut your mouth, Jeep." He said jokingly with a wink.

She laughed and shook her head. "Let's go down to Flo's and get a drink later. I've gotta do some unpacking."

Sarge agreed and the two of them drove down to get a drink that day a few hours later. It was late, and nobody else was there except those who lived there.

"Hey! Sarge has finally found himself the right chick!" Ramone joked as he noticed the M715.

"Shove a tire in it!" Sarge said with warning in his voice.

Chris tried to hold in her laughs.

"Who is she anyway? Introduce us!" Lightning said with a grin.

"Hello, I'm Christina, but you can call me Chris." She introduced herself to everybody.

Everybody replied with warm and welcoming 'hello's' and 'hey's'.

"I'm an old friend of Sarge's." She added.

"Are you staying around anywhere?" Sally asked.

"Actually," Sarge interrupted, "She's currently staying at my store with me."

Suddenly he realized he had said the wrong thing, because everybody looked around at eachother, all thinking the same thing.

"Wehl shewwwt! Looks like Sarge'as got heemself a girlfran'!" Mater suddenly shouted among the silence.

"Mater! Will you shut UP? Christina is NOT my girlfriend! We are NOT together!" Sarge snapped.

"Easy on him, Sarge." Chris said when she saw Mater's sad expression.

Sarge's engine cooled down as he gave her an apologetic look.

"Aw, is okay, miss Chris." Mater said with a smile.

"I...I have some business to attend to." Sarge mumbled as he drove off back to his store.

"Anyway," Ramone cut the silence, "Ay baby, I'm Ramone." He winked at her and she blushed, laughing.

Flo rolled her eyes and laughed, "Ramone, Ramone, what am I ever gonna do with you? I'm Flo." She looked at Chris.

"I am-a Luigi! And this-a is my partner, Guido!" Luigi and Guido drove forward and greeted her.

"Hello." Chris greeted back.

"And we have Red over there." Sally said, pointing a tire at the big fire truck, "Lizzie, Sheriff, Fillmore, Lightning, Mack, Doc and I'm Sally."

"It's nice to meet you all." Chris looked around at everyone and smile.

"So, what's up with Sarge?" Lightning raised an eye ridge.

"He's gettin' old, man." Ramone said and shrugged.

"Nah, he's just...lonely I guess." Chris sighed.

"Aren't we all?" Sheriff chuckled.

"You can't find a lady anyway, dude." Ramone laughed.

"You wanna bet, accent boy?" Came Sheriff's lame response.

"Ay, man, my accent is the sexiest thing you've ever heard, copper!" Ramone replied with a laugh.

"Mhm." Flo agreed and gave him a grin.

"I'm..I'm gonna go check on Sarge." Chris said as she turned to leave. "Be back in a minute."

Chris pulled into Sarge's store and looked around. No sign of him. She decided he might be in the guest room, and he was. He was on the bed, looking down upon a picture.

"You ok?" She asked, startling him.

"Wha!?--Oh, yeah, I'm fine." He sighed.

Chris pulled up next to him and looked down at the picture.

"That's me and you." She smiled. It was when they were in the army together. "In the good ol' days."

He sighed and returned the smile. "To be honest, I miss it."

"A lot has changed." Chris agreed.

"Too much." His saddened eyes pierced into her own. "We split apart for years. I didn't know where to find you."

"Why were you looking for me?" She asked.

"We were best friends. I couldn't just let you go." He admitted, looking back down at the picture.

Chris sighed, smiled and leaned against him. He seemed startled by her reaction.

"At least I was always in your heart, right?" She said with a laugh.

"That wasn't enough." He said, becoming calmer.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I never actually got to tell you...Oh, never mind. It's just stupid." He chuckled, but hurt deep inside.

"What? Tell me." She replied, looking up at him.

"No, I told you. Stupid." He said, shaking his head.

"Sarge, whatever you have to say, I guarantee it isn't stupid. You aren't stupid." She told him. "Just tell me what you gotta."

"Just never mind." He sighed. "It's getting late. I'm gonna go to bed."

"A-alright." Chris replied, sounding a bit disappointed.

Sarge noticed this and turned around to face her. "G'night." After that, he quickly sped up to her, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good night." She replied with a smile.

..........

Alright, first chapters always kinda suck..for me..but..whatever. haha. Anyway, I hope u enjoyed it! Don't forget to press that little review button. ;D Ha, and I know her last name is kinda cheesy, but I didn't want to take forever on finding a last name..


	2. Chapter 2

It was the next morning in Radiator Springs, and Chris woke up bright and early. Climbing out of the bed, she drove her way around the store and found Sarge's room. She peaked inside..he wasn't there.

"Must be down at Flo's." Chris said to herself as she stretched her axles and exited the store.

"Ay! Good morning, sexy." Ramone joked, receiving a playful smack in the face from Flo.

"Good morning, Ramone." Chris rolled her eyes and laughed.

Sarge, who was sitting not too far away, rolled his eyes and growled under his breath. Ramone was a typical ladies' man, and Sarge hated it! Sarge liked Ramone, but not how he acted, but then again, Ramone was Ramone. Sarge sighed and continued to drink his drink.

"G'mornin' Sarge." Chris rolled up to him.

"Mornn'." He mumbled back, not even looking up.

"Something wrong?" She asked in a low voice so she wouldn't be heard.

"No." He said harshly. Sarge couldn't even figure out why he was sounding snappy with her this morning. Was it Ramone? No..Was is what he did last night? Most likely..

"Sarge." Chris said, louder. Almost every car looked at them. "Follow me. We need to talk."

Before he had time to say anything, she began to drive off, forcing him to follow her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, almost glaring at her.

"What's wrong? You aren't really yourself around me." She asked.

His eyes softened and he looked away. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"No, you aren't. Ever since I came here you've been acting weird! And that was only yesterday!" She said, nearly yelling her response,

"I--I know, and I want to apologize for it." He said, finally looking back at her.

"Don't be sorry. You've got no reason to be." She replied.

"Actually, I do. I was a bit forward last night, and I shouldn't have done what I did." He admitted, looking up at her with the saddest of eyes.

"Sarge, I didn't mind." She said with a chuckle. "I was actually glad that you did."

"Why?" He asked, moving a bit closer to her.

Chris noticed this movement and moved closer to him, touching him lightly on the side. Shivers ran through his body as he continued to stare at the beauty next to him.

"I don't know, I just was. I didn't want to think that our close friendship was over, and that helped me realize that it wasn't." She shrugged.

_Friendship.._The single word haunted him in his mind. He wanted to be more than that with her. he had to tell her his true feelings, but something inside him told him it was the wrong thing to do. He had to..he just couldn't regret not ever telling her how he felt! If something were to happen, at least she'd know.

"I have something to say." He quietly admitted.

"What is it?" She asked, smiling and getting a bit closer.

He swallowed hard. "It's hard for me to say, actually, but I kinda have to."

"Just tell me what you have to." She replied.

"I don't want this to ruin our friendship, and there is no other way to say it, so, Chris, I...I have certain feelings for you. I like you a lot..more than just friends.." He said it! It was done! The next hardest thing was listening to what she had to say...hopefully it would be good.

He flinched as she suddenly came to a halt. "Really?"

He nodded and looked away, almost ashamed.

Chris didn't know what to say. She liked Sarge, but not like that. At least not yet.

"S-Sarge..I..I didn't know that." Is all she could say.

_I knew it! I knew I should have kept my big mouth shut! _Sarge shut his eyes tight and sighed.

"Look, I...I'm not ready to jump into a relationship right now, and you didn't ruin our friendship. Sarge, I love you a lot. You're my best friend, but I'm not ready." She added, feeling bad for him. She now knew how horrible he felt, but there was no way anything would work out for them, she knew.

"I understand." He said.

"I'm sorry." She said as they both continued to drive, except the other way..back to Radiator Springs.

"Don't be." He said with a smile.

She smiled back as they drove back to Flo's. Just as she turned around to enter Flo's, Mack ran into her.

"Oof! Sorry, there." Mack apologized.

Chris looked up at him and smiled, blushing. "Oh, it's no problem. My fault."

For a big rig, he was actually cute, she thought. Most other big rigs were 'sex-addicted freaks'.

..........

Meanwhile, Sarge was talking to Ramone and the rest of the group.

"I told her..I finally told her, and now I regret it." He said, looking down at the ground.

"Awwww, duude! I have a small, but special quote for ya." Ramone began.

"Oh, please don't embarrass me.." Sarge said and looked away while rolling his eyes, but Ramone continued.

"You gotta take some chances, you gotta risk losing it all, you gotta close your eyes and leap because it might be worth the fall." Ramone winked as a finish.

Sarge could hardly believe his ears..did..did Ramone just say something that actually made SENSE? He looked up at his friend.

"Thanks." Is all he could manage to say.

........

"So, your the one who's with Sarge, huh?" Mack asked, looking down upon Chris.

"I'm not 'with' him, I'm just friends with him." She replied with a smile.

"Ohhh, riiight." He winked and laughed, causing Chris to do the same. "Anyway, as you may already know, I'm Mack."

"Ya, that's right. Lightning was telling me about you." Chris replied. "So, how are you?" She asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"Pretty good. Good thing I don't have ta work right now." He chuckled. "And you?"

"I'm ok, I guess. I was just gonna get a drink at Flo's." She replied.

"Mind if I join ya?" Mack asked.

"Sure, that's be great!" Chris replied with a smile as she moved out of the way to allow Mack to turn around.

As Sarge sipped his drink, he noticed the two of them next to each other talking and drinking. Sarge glared as Chris began to laugh at something funny Mack must've said. She began to blush and Sarge's engine began to heat as he continued his death glare at Mack. Mack glanced at Sarge, and Sarge quickly looked away.

"What's the matter with Sarge over there?" Mack asked Chris.

"Oh, I don't know.", the m715 sighed. "He's not in a very good mood."

"When is he?" Mack laughed causing Chris to chuckle.

"So I guess he's always like this?" She asked, looking at Sarge from the corner of her eyes.

"As far as I know." He replied, taking a sip from his drink. "So, if ya don't mind me askin', where have ya lived before ya came here?"

"Oh, I've been to many places all over the world. It's not like I want to move a lot, I'm just never comfortable with my surroundings for some reason, but now that I know that Sarge is here, I kinda feel more comfortable ya know? I really need it after being alone for the past couple of years."

"Ah, so you were in the army?" He asked.

"Yup." She replied, taking the final sip of her drink before it went empty. "For about..ehh..sixteen years or so. I joined when I was eighteen"

"Wow." Mack whistled.

"Didn't seem long enough though. It wasn't long enough. Sarge left with me. We were best friends. Almost like brother and sister. We were there for each other." Chris sighed and looked over at her friend.

"I see." Mack nodded. "Maybe that's why he's been so grumpy all these years."

She chuckled, "Maybe."

"Ever been to Wheel Well before?"He asked.

"Huh-uh, never." She replied, shaking her head.

"Aw man. You don't know what your missin' out!" He laughed.

"It must be nice. Is it far from here?" She asked.

"It's beautiful, and actually, it's a couple miles." He replied. "We should go check it out while it's closed. No crowd, and the scenery is nice."

"Sure, I'd love to go." Chris replied, blushing slightly.

"Follow me." He said as he turned out of Flo's. Chris followed and they both drove down the road to Wheel Well.

Sarge stared after them..he was..taking her on a drive!

"Wha-what?!" Sarge whispered harshly. He couldn't believe it.

...........

Minutes seemed like hours before Mack and Chris reached their destination.

"We're here." He said.

"Oh my--It's...beautiful, Mack! I've never seen so many stars in the sky before." Chris gasped.

Mack chuckled, "Ya must've lived in the city all your life."

"Basically. You never see skies like this in the cities." She laughed.

Mack agreed and shook his head. "Nope."

"This is really amazing." Chris couldn't help but laugh. The full moon stood silently in the sky as it's soft blue-hinted light beamed on the rocky terrain below them. "I've always loved the stars and moon."

"I know what ya mean. I see it a lot when I drive on the highway. I actually like it a lot better than in the day." He sighed.

"Oh, I can imagine." She chuckled.

For the first time since they got there, Mack looked down at Chris. The moonlight seemed to hit her almost perfectly and he caught himself staring at her with his mouth partly hanging open.

"Something wrong?" She asked with a smile.

"Wha-? Oh, no." He replied and blushed, but thankfully for him, his red paint job covered most of it, and the night.

"Well, it is getting late." He sighed. "I guess we should be headin' back before the others worry."

Chris nodded and agreed, "Yea, you're right."

...........

Finally, the two had made it back to the town, and mostly everybody was already back in their little homes fast asleep.

"Thank you so much for the drive." She said to Mack as they pulled up in front of Sarge's hut.

"It's no problem. Any time." He winked.

"Goodnight." She smiled at him.

"G'night." He replied and smiled back before turning to leave.

Chris watched him go with a grin on her face. She sighed heavily, her smile still glued in place as she turned to enter Sarge's.

"Hello." Chris greeted Sarge as she saw he was still awake.

"Hey." He replied with a nod.

"Um, I'm gonna go to bed. See you tomorrow." She said.

"Yea, ok." He replied and drove slowly to his room.

Chris frowned as she watched him leave and turn the corner into the room. She sighed and drove into her own, got in the bed, closed her eyes and drifted into the deepest sleep.

..........

Yay! Chappy 2! I hope you like it. XD

Please note that It may be difficult for me to update quickly..school work and whatnot are filling my hands and 'to-do' list..XP but don't worry, ill try to update as much as possible, as fast as I can. Thanks for understanding! =)


	3. Chapter 3

Just thought I'd point it out, but I do NOT own any of the characters, or their lines. (I may use of few of them from the movie) Thanks! =D

* * *

The month flew fast for the town of Radiator Springs, and today wasn't their busiest day. Only a few outsiders of the town remained and most were leaving to continue their journeys to wherever. It was about 7:30 and the sun was already down. Everybody was at Flo's, except for Sarge and Fillmore who were side by side. Fillmore was gazing up upon the single street light that was continuously blinking yellow. Sarge was looking at other random things, thinking about the only person who has been on his mind for days..Chris.

"I'm still sayin' it, man. Every third blink IS slower!" Fillmore told Sarge for what seemed to be the sixtieth time.

Sarge snapped out of his thoughts and glared up at the light, then glared at Fillmore. "Will you shut UP?" Sarge's glare disappeared when he noticed Mack and Chris entering the town. It was their seventh drive of the month.

"The rig is stealin' yer girl, man." Fillmore said as he watched the two of them with Sarge.

"Oh, take a car wash, hippie." Sarge rolled his eyes.

"I'm tellin' ya, man, he's gonna win her over. You should really try harder." The bus continued.

Sarge rolled his eyes, "I'm not interested." He lied.

"I don't know, man. I see ya lookin' at her everyday with desire. I can see it in you. You're in love." Fillmore smiled and nodded.

"Shut your mouth, hippie!" Sarge growled as he drove away from his annoying friend.

* * *

"So, ya doin' anything tomorrow?" Mack asked Chris as they drove into Flo's.

"I don't think so." Chris smiled. "And I'd love to take another drive with you." She added with a laugh.

"Great! There's some great travel spots further away, I could bring my trailer for ya so you wouldn't have to drive." He suggested.

"Thank you, Mack. That would be a good idea." Chris smiled with a blush.

"Anytime." He replied, taking a few seconds to look at her. Chris's engine began to heat up and she drove off to Sarge's hut after saying goodbye.

"Hey Sarge." She greeted when she entered.

"Hey." He replied flatly.

"Way to be enthusiastic." She joked with a chuckle.

"Ha, yeah." He replied with a sigh.

"You haven't been yourself lately." She said, driving closer to him.

"I guess not." He sighed again.

"Any reason you wanna share with me?" She asked.

"No." He snapped.

Chris glared at him, "Look, I'm just trying to help you."

"I don't need any of it." He replied.

Chris shook her hood and glared. "Alright, whatever. I'm leaving. I'll find somewhere else to go." She turned to leave, "I'll be back for my stuff later."

Sarge stared at her, his eyes following her as she left. He then realized that he had just hurt the one and only person who meant the world to him. Before he could say anything, she was already out the door.

Chris wasn't even thinking when she turned out of Sarge's lawn. Suddenly she smacked face to face into somebody big.

"Ow! Oh, hey Chris." It was Mack.

Chris smiled, happy to see him. "Hey Mack." Her voice was cracking from holding back tears and Mack seemed to notice this.

"What happened?" He asked.

Chris looked up at him for a few seconds before bursting into tears. She huddled up to him and he hugged her.

"Oh Mack. I don't know what to do anymore." Chris sobbed into the side of his face. "I just feel like I'm losing him as a friend."

"Just give him some time to cool down." Mack said softly, hugging her tighter.

They both broke apart from each other and Chris nodded, "You're right. I'll give him some time." Her windshield wipers activated and her eyes were soon dry.

"Hey, if ya need anything, or somebody to talk to, I'm here too." He smiled and gave her a small nudge.

Chris raised herself up on her axles a bit and kissed his 'cheek'. "Thank you." She smiled.

"You're welcome." Mack said calmly with a blush on his face.

"Hey um, is lightning using your trailer?" She asked.

"Nope. Not for a while, why?" Mack replied.

"Would you mind..if I stayed in there for a while?" She asked.

"But it stays outside. It doesn't fit in the garage, and it gets pretty chilly in there. If you wan't, you can even stay in the garage with me. It's a two door giant garage and there's plenty of room." He suggested.

Chris smiled. He did have a point, and a garage sounded more comfortable.

"Ok, that'd be great." She blushed slightly.

"It's not much, but it's comforting." He said, preparing her that she may not like it.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." She reassured him with a smile.

A few minutes later they arrived at the garage. It was big..huge more likely.

"It's nice." Chris told him. "Thank you again."

"No problem." Mack replied, opening both giant doors.

"Wow." Chris whispered. She had never seen a garage this big before.

"After you." Mack smiled as he held out a tire in the direction of the garage.

Chris smiled up at him as she drove into the garage.

"If you need anything, I'll be right next door." He told her.

"Alright. Thank you." Chris replied with a smile before Mack closed the door.

* * *

The next morning at Radiator Springs came quickly. Chris opened her eyes and yawned, stretching her axles before opening the garage door. Mack's was wide open, which told her that he was already awake and probably at Flo's.

Only a couple seconds later, Chris was down at Flo's getting her breakfast.

"Hey Doc." Chris greeted her friend. She had become kinda close to him over the past few weeks she was here.

"Hey Chris. How'd you sleep?" He asked.

"Great, surprisingly." She replied.

"I heard you and Sarge we're arguing." He said quietly.

She sighed, "Yea, I don't know what's gotten into him."

"Ya know he likes you a lot?" Doc asked, raising an eye ridge.

"I know, but we're best friends, and that's all I see him as..Well.. I guess..I'm not really sure how I feel about him. I mean, he's nice an' all, he's a good friend, he's understanding.." Chris sighed, "I just don't know what to do."

"How do you feel around him?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Do you have any feelings when your around him? For example..butterflies in your tank, nervous, etc." He said, waving a tire around to show more enthusiasm.

"Well.." Chris began honestly. "I..do get butterflies..sometimes.." She admitted.

"Well, there ya go. You have feelings for him, you just couldn't see it." He said with a grin.

"But..I..can I tell you something?" She asked.

"Anything." He replied.

"I..I feel the same way with Mack." She whispered.

Doc's expression showed that he didn't mind, "Well, I really don't know what to tell ya, but I do understand what you're goin' through. If you don't mind me asking, why Mack?"

"Oh, I don't know. He's just really sweet and a nice guy. He's helped me out a lot this past month. I appreciate him." She shrugged.

"What about Sarge?" He asked.

"He's a real nice guy. He's very close to me. We've been through a lot together, and we've basically helped each other out a lot." Chris shrugged.

"Why don't you take a drive with him? Ya know, catch up." Doc suggested.

Chris nodded in agreement. "Ok. I'll do it."

Doc only smiled and drove off.

"Hey Mack." Chris greeted the rig as she spotted him driving down the road.

"Oh, hey Chris." He smiled.

"Hey look, I'm sorry, but..I'm gonna have to cancel our plans for today. I-um..was gonna go on a drive with Sarge. To just try and work things out. You don't mind, do you?" She looked up at the semi.

"No, not at all. It's fine with me." Mack nodded and chuckled.

"Ok, thanks." Chris said and turned to leave.

Chris looked around and spotted Sarge in his normal place next to Fillmore at Flo's. She drove up next to him and smiled sideways in his direction. "Hey."

He only looked at her and nodded as a hello.

"Come on. Let's go for a drive." She said, still hanging on to her smile.

Sarge's eyes gazed into hers before he spoke, "Alright."

The two of them drove out of Flo's and headed down the road.

"I...I need to apologize." Sarge began, his eyes saddened as they continued their drive. "I was too harsh on you."

"No need. I-I should have just let ya cool down for a while." She admitted, scooting slightly closer to him.

"Most of it's my fault anyway." Sarge laughed.

"That's not true." Christina replied with a chuckle. "Now shut up and drive, Sergeant Pain-In-My-Ass." She added sarcastically with a grin.

"Come on. I know the perfect place." Sarge said with a laugh as he sped up a bit faster.

"You got it!" She hollered over the loud noise of their engines and the wind as she met his speed.

* * *

Hours seemed to go by like days, and both Chris and Sarge stood side by side, over looking the great rocky hills and valleys.

"This is really beautiful." Chris sighed as she gazed upon the land.

"Come on. Follow me." Sarge replied as he turned around. Chris obeyed and followed. A few minutes later, he led her to a giant-looking forrest. Trees surrounded them almost instantly as they drove through. They had only spent about thirty seconds in the wilderness and already the trees looked thick.

A sudden roar of thunder caused both vehicles to stop dead in their tracks. They both looked at eachother with goofy smiles.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Sarge asked.

"Oh yea, I think I'm thinkin' what your thinkin'." Chris laughed and nodded her hood.

At that very moment rain began to pour heavily, and right then and there, the two jeeps sped off. Mud had already started to form, along with giant muddy puddles and whatnot in the area.

Sarge stopped and watched his best friend continue to drive at full speed. Suddenly, Chris slammed her breaks, and skidded sideways, creating a giant wave of mud and water. The flying mess hit the trees in its path and left a giant mud stain on the bark.

"Beat that!" Chris yelled back to Sarge. It was a game. Whoever could get the mud stain the highest, won. It was a game they'd played in the army all the time to keep them busy when there was nothing to do, and training for the day had been finished.

"No problem!" Sarge yelled back to her as he sped off. His speed reached the same as hers was before, and he stopped, skidded sideways, and left a giant stain on the same tree just about an inch higher than the old one. "Ha! I win!"

"I call a redo!" Chris laughed.

"Fine! How about over there?" Sarge pointed a tire in another direction.

"Good for me." She replied as she sped off in that direction. She had a giant grin on her face as she sped faster than the lightning in the skies. Finally, she slammed her breaks, but something had gone wrong. Something inside her snapped and she continued to fly forward. Her brake pads were damaged. She was barely able to move out of the tree's path, when she suddenly entered a giant puddle, which turned out to be a giant ditch filled with thick mud. her entire right side was underneath the mud, and she was stuck.

"Christina!" Sarge yelled as he went after her. "Chris, are--are..are you alright?" Chris?"

"I'm..I'm..hurt..I can't move..and I'm stuck." She said as tears of pain began to flood her eyes.

"I'll go get help!" Sarge yelled to her.

"No! Radiator Springs is a half-hour away..I..I don't think I can make it." She admitted.

"Don't say that! I will come back. I promise." Sarge replied before he quickly sped off, dodging every tree.

Chris sobbed, the rain hiding her tears. _He'll be back..I know it._ She thought. Suddenly her eyes felt heavy, and she closed them. All the struggling made her tired and she fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Sarge raced down the highway back to Radiator Springs. He was going at least twenty miles over the speed limit, and within the next fifteen minutes, he arrived at Radiator Springs.

He sped up at Flo's.

Everybody looked at the mud-soaked jeep. "Where's Mater?"

"Last-a time we saw him, he was-a with-a Mack helping him move things." Luigi replied.

"Mmmhm." Flo agreed with a nod.

"And do you realize how fast you were going?" Sheriff said, glaring.

"I don't care how fast I was going! Christina is miles away from here, stuck in a giant muddy hole!" Sarge growled as he skidded a U-turn and sped off to Mack's garage, leaving the rest of the group at Flo's looking at one another in confusion.

Within seconds he reached it, and saw Mater with Mack.

"Mater! I need your help! Fast! Hurry up!" Sarge said, inpatient. "Chris is in trouble.

"Wehl, ok." Mater said with a raised eye ridge.

"What's the matter with her?" Mack asked as he sped up in front of Sarge.

"She's stuck." Sarge replied. "I have to hurry back. Let's go Mater."

* * *

At least a half-hour had passed before both Mater and Sarge arrived back at the location in which Chris was at. It had stopped raining a while ago, and already the sun was back out, blazing hotter than ever. Most of the mud in the ditch was hardened back into dirt, but still some was wet and soft.

"I don' know. I don' think I can get'er out." Mater said and gave Sarge an ashamed look.

"What do you mean you don't think you can get her out? Try it!" The jeep replied.

Sighing, Mater quickly threw out his tow-hook. It connected with ease underneath Chris's bumper, and he began to pull as hard as he could. Determined to get her out, Sarge drove in front of Chris and began trying to help push her out. Inch by inch she was released by the thick mess, and within the next half hour, she was finally free.

* * *

Slowly..very slowly..Chris's eyes opened to a squint as bright light entered them.

She groaned, "Ugh, where am I?"

"You're in my office." Doc's voice was heard behind her.

"What happened?" She asked.

"You were stuck. In mud." Doc said, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Mud? Are you serious?" She asked. She had forgotten the accident completely, but remembered her and Sarge goofing off and playing the game.

"No lie. You worried us." He replied. "If it weren't for Mater and Sarge, you would've never gotten out."

"When can I get out of here? What's wrong with me?" She asked.

"Well, I fixed your brake pads up. I cleaned ya up some, and you have damaged axles." He sighed. "That was a dangerous game you were playing."

She laughed, "I know."

"I'm surprised you didn't get yelled at for it when you were in the army." He chuckled.

Chris laughed out loud, but winced in pain from it, "We did, but we were kinda scared, so we used it to pass up the time."

Doc chuckled. "Well, you'll need to be in here for about..three more days."

"Three days?" Chris groaned. "I already feel cramped up here." She added, pointing out the fact that she was on the lift, about five feet in the air. Just enough of a height so Doc could work on her.

"Don't worry, it'll fly by." He said, trying to reassure her as he began his work on her axles.


End file.
